Haris Nadeem case to be discussed in Parliament

THE plight of Haris Nadeem, the Old Trafford boy whose parents need to raise £23,000 to fund an operation they believe will improve his walking and his balance, is to be discussed in Parliament.

So far, health chiefs have refused to fund the procedure, known as a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) - and Kate Green MP, who represents Stretford and Urmston, has agreed to highlight the issue with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

The operation isn’t routinely funded by the NHS and she said: "I was very concerned to hear Haris has been refused funding for SDR.

“I have asked a written question to the Secretary of State for Health about this treatment and will be writing to the Clinical Commissioning Group on the family's behalf."

Haris, eight, has cerebral palsy and the youngster, who attends King’s Road Primary School, dreams of being able to play football with his pals.

His mum Sahira, said the family is very grateful for Ms Green’s support and believes the surgery will give her son’s independence a major boost.

Sahira, 44, from Ayres Road, said: “NHS funding of this treatment which will give Haris a good quality of life will make him more independent.”

* Anyone interested in supporting the fundraising campaign for Haris should visit justgiving.com/tree-of-hope-helphariswalk.

Scope, the charity that supports people with cerebral palsy, has a page on its website for anyone who wants to find out more about SDR and it can be viewed at scope.org.uk/help-and-information/therapies/selective-dorsal-rhizotomy.